Total paid to city to get “public” records: $483.50
Before I even pick them up, there is a disclaimer in the email they sent last night (told to me AFTER I paid the first $400 two weeks ago) that “the City notes that several of your requests seek information that does not fall within the parameters of the Texas Public Information Act. Additionally, the TPIA does not require a governmental body to “answer general questions” in response to an open record request”
Translation: we’re going to leave a ton of stuff out and if you don’t like it, too bad.
It’s hilarious to see tiny little Lampasas, which is supposed to be all about community and open government, hiding behind this legalese and doing everything it can NOT to answer the questions of the taxpayer. Again – makes you wonder what they have to hide, doesn’t it??
I am heading to city hall right now to pay the final installment of $83.50. Here is how they came up with that ridiculous amount:
Personnel charge to locate/copy documents: $15/hr for 25 hours: $375
Overhead charge (i.e. extra ‘screw you just because we can’): $75
Copy charges for approx 335 pages: $33.50
So, some useless doofus down there got paid twice to do their job. First time with their bloated annual salary and then another $15 per hour to “retrieve” my documents. You gotta love it.
I’ll be going through this big turd pile all day and will post as any nuggets become available. I predict there will be no answers to any big questions.